My review for Cold Fusion 2000 by Karl Drinkwater, 5/5 stars.
I finished this book a few days ago, and it’s taken me this long to write a review. It’s an unusual story, and I mean that in a good way. I’ve read other books by the author, mostly horror and also his latest sci-fi one, which I loved. This one, however, is completely different!
The protagonist, Alex Kavanagh, comes across at first as a slightly OCD geek with a large chip on his shoulder. He’s a teacher, but hates teaching. He has a girlfriend, but doesn’t really want her. He starts writing physics articles for magazines but never gets round to finishing them. You don’t know whether to feel sorry for him or slap him.
But the story draws you in. As frustrating as Alex is, Drinkwater’s writing makes you keep on wanting to read and find out what happens next. Alex’s sister, Natalie the live-in friend, the family dropping in whenever they feel like it, are all so realistic, it feels like you’re living in the book with the characters. Then Jane makes an appearance and turns their lives upside down.
Jane is the twin sister of Alex’s old flame, Lucy, the love he never got over. She’s in town for 72 hours, and when she bumps into Alex by chance, she decides to make up for her sister’s treatment of him 6 years before. From this point, it becomes a story of redemption, of realisation, of finally behaving like a grown-up, and you see Alex in a different light as he struggles to become the man he’s always wanted to be.
Set in 2000, obviously, it has lots of references to the period that will make you smile as you read them.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will probably re-read it at least once more to pick up some of the more subtle clues and references I missed the first time around, as I was concentrating on the story! Well written and edited, it also earns a Pink Quill Book Pick badge (click here for more information).
Pink Quill Books 
This sounds interesting Helen 👌🏼
Funny when you said you didn’t know whether to feel sorry for him or slap him. The author has done a great job when we feel these things as writers because the characters are far from 2-dimensional 👏🏼
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It’s a great book, even though it just covers a few months in the life of the protagonist. Seemingly simple, but with a lot of subtleties that I’ve probably missed! I’ve read a lot of this author’s books, they’re all good reads. 🙂
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